Thursday, May 8, 2008
Week 8 Blog Post Writing Prompt
Please complete by Saturday, May 11th. Thanks.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Week 7 - Educational Technology Grants
Your assignment for Week 7 is to explore the sites below with information on grants. Once you have checked on sites your assignment is to write a blog post with the following comments:
1) Describe a grant that you could apply for that would apply to your subject area and grade level. (If not currently in the classroom then imagine you are in your ideal classroom situation for this activity.)
2) Imagine your principal has just informed you that a wealthy patron has donated a large sum of money to the school and each classroom teacher will be given $2500 to integrate technology into their curriculum. What would you buy? How would you use it? Please describe your plan on how you would use your $2500.
Writing Technology Grants Links:
tech Learning Grant Site - this is my first stop is searching for grants, excellent resource
Educational Grants Blog - a blog devoted to information on educational grants
The Grant Wrangler - a listing of over 100 links to educational grants
10 Tips to Successful Grant Writing - a short but effective look at what makes a grant a winning grant
Best Buy Te@ch Grant - a great opportunity for schools within 50 miles of a Best Buy store
Sprint Achievement Program - great opportunity for Kansas City area educators
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Week 6 - Blog Writing Prompt
- copyright and teachers
- online assessment
- links
These blog entires should be post by next Thursday.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Week 6 - Multimedia Presentations
PowerPoint - History and Research:
Wiikipedia's PowerPoint Page - contains the history of PowerPoint and basic information about the application (did you know that is originally an Apple product?)
Research Article on PowerPoint in Education - great presentation with facts that describe effective use of PowerPoint in the classroom
Microsoft PowerPoint Sites:
Microsoft's PowerPoint in Education Page - official site on using PowerPoint as an instruction tool, includes tutorials, tips, and information on different versions
Link for free download version of PowerPoint - software good for a limited amount of time
Learn to Use PowerPoint:
PowerPoint Tutorial - a good PowerPoint 2007 tutorial created by Florida Gulf Coast University
PowerPoint in the Classroom Tutorial - professional site with cartoon figures to teach PowerPoint basics
PowerPoint Resources:
PowerPoint FAQ Page - a very detailed page with links to help answer almost any question on PowerPoint
PowerPoint Blog - a blog devoted entirely to, that's right - PowerPoint
Tip for Finding PowerPoint Presentations on the Web - a great tip to help you find only PowerPoint presentations
Animation Factory - a good source for graphics, many are free and others on the site you need to have a subscription to use
PowerPoint Templates - some templates offered for free, others are to buy
Extras4PowerPoint - a site with many resouces and links on using PowerPoint
Just for Fun
Week 6 - Online Games and Simulations
Windward - science and geography simulation game from Cable in the Classroom
Shakespeare, Subject to Change - online simulation game from Cable in the Classroom
Jamestown - online history simulation about first English settlement in America
An Ohio Teacher Using History Games in the Classroom
Diseccting a Virtual Frog
Week 6 - Teachers and Copyright Law
This week we are discussing copyright law and fair use for teachers. The use of material with a copyright in class is a very fine line. Here are some sources to help us understand the fine print.
Online checklist / PDF of Fair Use Policy
Lesson Plan for Students about Copyright - a great lesson plan designed for 8th graders to teach about copyright issues - in PDF format for easy printing
Printable Chart on Copyright - a two page chart for quick reference about copyright, great to print and post near computers, is in PDF format
List of links about Copyright - an extensive list of links about copyright law from Stanford
CyberBee Interactive Game on Copyright - a flash animation page to help teach students about copyright issues
Copyright comic book - read about a new concept in teaching copyright and print a copy for yourself
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Week 5 - What Homework Must Be Completed Before the Next Class?
1. Post your blog entry reflection on your blog. Topic - Is Google Good or Evil?
2. Be working on your 3 minute video - due to be shown at Week 8 Class, May 8.
3. Be working on your 3 minute podcast - due to be shown at Week 8 Class, May 8.
4. Find and add your educational web sites to our class wiki - this is due next week - April 24th. You will stand up and show the class three of your top picks.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Week 5 - Screen Capture
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Week 4 - What Do I Have for Homework as I Leave Week #4 Class?
2. Be working on your 3 minute video.
3. Be working on your 3 minute podcast.
4. Find and add your educational web sites to our class wiki.
Have a great week and we'll see you on April 17th when we have Google Week!
Week 4 - Writing Prompt for Blog
Please include a reaction with a minimum of at least 100 words on your blog under the title "Week 4 Writing Prompt". This assignment is due by the next class - April 17th.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Week 4 - Video in the Classroom

United Streaming - online video for use in the classroom
You Tube 101 - article on teaching with You Tube from PBS Blog
Teachers Using You Tube - article from Arizonia newspaper
You Tube in the Classroom - article from Geek Dad blog
UStream - live and archived video for free
DigiTales - collection of resources for creating video in the classroom
We Didn't Start the Fire video
What Does A Teacher Make Video
Zamzar - online video converter
Flip - cheap video camera
Week 4 - Sites of the Night

How Much Was Worth Then - ever wonder how much $5 in 1865 is worth today, this site will answer that question
Premium Lesson Plans for Teachers - a collection of the best of the best lesson plans available on the Internet, divided into subject and grade level
Brain Pop - short videos on almost any subject, free for a limited amount of downloads per day
Week 4 - Keeping Track of Your Blogs
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Week 3 - Online Articles to Read and Reflect On for Week 3 Blog Post
Please read the following 4 articles and then create a blog post on your class blog sharing your thoughts or opinions about the articles. Please type a reflection for each article that is at least 100 words in length. You can include all your reflections on one blog post.
There are no right or wrong answers - just your thoughts and feeling about the articles. If you don't agree with something in the article please don't be shy about addressing it. Likewise, if you agree with the points made in the articles, please explain why you agree.
I have been receiving your web addresses for your personal class blogs and hope to have them all as links on the class blog. If you have not yet sent me your blog web address please do so as soon as possible. Thanks and see you next week on April 10th.
Article #1 - Students Leave Technology At Home from Education Week
Article #2 - Teachers Use You Tube in the Classroom
Article #3 - $50 Computer Being Tested in Schools
Article #4 - Online Speech Pits Students Against Teachers
Thursday, March 27, 2008
What homework do I have as I leave the week 2 class?
1. Send me - via my park e-mail - your URL address for your class blog (for example: http://www.gradteacher.blogspot.com/)
2. A blog post reflecting on the Week #1 writing prompt - see blog post below
3. A blog post reflecting on the Week #2 writing prompt - see blog post below
Be thinking about a 3 minute video project you would like to create for your content area using PhotoStory 3 - due May 8
Be thinking about a 3 minute audio file for your content area using Audacity - due May 8
Be looking for educational web site you would like to share with fellow class members and add to the class wiki - due April 24
Next week we will not meet - April 3rd - but I will post 4 articles on the class blog that I want you to read and then comment about on your blog - 100 words for each article. There will be a writing prompt for each article on the blog.
Thanks.
Week 2 Blog Post Writing Prompt
You can discuss ways that you might use podcasting in your content or grade area. Is there anything about podcasting that worries you or should approach with caution?
Did you find any educational podcasts that you might be able to incorporate into your curriculum?
Do you have any ideas on how you could use student created video in your classroom?
Write at least 100 words on the topic and have it posted to your blog by midnight, April 10th
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Week 2 - Digital Video in the Classroom
Here is the link to download PhotoStory 3 - free download if you have a legal copy of Windows XP as your operating system.
Links to using digital photography in the classroom:
Ideas for Digital Photography in the Classroom
Adobe Digital Kids Club
Quick Get the Digital Camera - article from Educational World
Picasa - free tool for editing and organizing digital photography
Choosing a Digital Camera for the Classroom
Flickr Toys - add some pizazz to your digital photos
DigiTales - collection of resources for creating video in the classroom
Marco Torres - an incredible teacher from California that uses video in the classroom to the highest degree
iPod Video - a simple movie changes the way Apple does business
We Didn't Start the Fire video
Photo Story 3 - official site
Photo Story 3 - a site with expanded information about the program
Links on Digital Video in the Classroom
Week 2 - Sites of the Night
Jeopardy Archive - list of every Jeopardy question
PowerPoint Review Game Templates - includes Jeopardy
Snopes - is that really true?
Da Font - fonts of every type, free
Week 2 - Wikis
These links will be added to our classroom wiki, thus building a collection of links that we can all share. We will all be able to access the wiki to edit and add information over the next several weeks. I will share the password with you in class so that you may edit the wiki.
Park Ed Tech Wiki
You will need to have all your links posted to the wiki by the start of class on May 8th. You are required to have 10 links - each worth 20 points.
Week 2 - Podcasting
What is a "podcast"?This question can be answered in several ways. When I am asked that question I usually explain that is sort of like a radio show that can be heard thorugh the Internet or downloaded to your MP3 player and you can listen to a podcast when you select to listen to it.The wikipedia describes Podcasting as: the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers.
A person that produces a podcast is usually called a "podcaster".The word itself is a combination of "i-Pod" and "broadcasting" but you do not need an i-Pod to listen to a podcast or record a podcast.A "blog" is a web site which typically places new content at the top of the page and can contain pictures, links and audio content.Many blogs are very easy to create and there is no need to have knowledge of HTML code or complicated web design.Blogs and podcasts are often work together as a podcast can be placed inside a blog.
#2 - Examples of Educational Podcasts
In the past year, many teachers have found a variey of ways to use podcasts for educationa purposes - student created, collaborative, instructional and content based. Here are some examples of educational podcasts available:
Speaking of History - by Eric Langhorst, 8th grade American History teacher discussing education, technology and history
Room 208 - by Bob Sprankle, a 3rd/4th grade teacher in Maine that has a student created podcast
Connect Learning - by David Warlick, an educational technology presenter from North Carolina who speaks at workshops and conferences around the world
Teach 42 - by Steve Dembo, an educational specialist for the Discovery Educator Network
Bud the Teacher - by Bud Hunt, a language arts teacher in Colorado
Adventures in Podcasting - by Shawn Wheeler, a technology specialist for the Peoria, Arizona school district
Educational Podcast Network - a collection of links to educational podcasts maintained by David Warlick, contains all grade levels and subject areas.
#3 - Creating Your Podcast
The application we will be using today to capture and edit sound is a software application named "Audacity".Audacity is a free program that can be used with both a Mac or a PC. Using Audacity you can record directly to the computer using an inexpensive microphone and you can then edit and layer your sound tracks.
The free download for Audacity can be found here
If you have questions later on using Audacity you can check out these online tutorials for additional help and tips: Audacity Tutorials
Your finished product using Audacity will be a WAV sound file. A WAV sound file takes up much more memory than an MP3 file so we want to convert the file to MP3. The program we will use to convert the file from a WAV to an MP3 is a free program from River Past. This program is free and very simple to use.
Download for River Past MP3 Convert - allows you to convert a WAV to a MP3 file
#4 - Distributing Your Podcast and Blogging
Once your audio file is in MP3 format you can upload it to a school server or a site that allows free hosting for audio files like Our Media. This will allow anyone to listen to your audio file through the Internet.To officially make your audio file a podcast you will need to add something called RSS.
RSS is web language which allows people to subscribe to your podcast so that everytime you upload a new audio file it will automatically be sent to them. The easiest way to do this is to create a blog using a free service like "Blogger" and then registering your podcast with an RSS creater like "Feedburner". These programs will work together to easily create an RSS feed for your blog. Both of these services are free.Once you have your RSS feed created then someone can subscribe it it using a program like "Bloglines". This is also a free.
#5 - Finding and Listening to Podcasts
There are several places you can go to find educational podcasts. One of the best is the above mentioned Educational Podcast Network with a pre-reviewed list of podcasts in various educational categories.You can also do to a podcast directory such as Podcast Alley, Podcast Pickle, Podcast.net.
These have hundreds of podcasts listed under the "education" category but please preview any podcasts before playing for students as some definitions of "education" may differ from what is acceptable in the classroom setting.When you find some podcasts you enjoy listening to you may want to subscribe so that you will be notified each time a new episode is published. To do this you will set up a registration with an aggregator.
A popular aggregator is Bloglines - which is free. The advantage of an aggregator is that the content is delivered to you - you do not have to check each day for new content.
# 6 - Podcasting Resources
Here are some additional links that you may find helpful in exploring the world of podcasting:
Mr. Langhorst's Podcast and StudyCast Links - links to study reviews for 8th grade American History class
Making Your First Podcast - some tips from Podcasting News on starting a podcast
i-Tunes - the Apple site which allows you to subscribe to podcasts
Podcasting Tutorial - from Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand
Podcasting in Education - comprehensive site from Shaun Else, a 5th grade teacher in Canada
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Week 1 - Online Survey

The program used for survey is an online tool named "Quia" which we will discuss later in the course. I currently use it for testing in my classroom.
Week 1 - Educational Blog Examples
Check out this extensive list of educational blogs listed on this wiki.
Week 1 - Creating Your Blog and Following Others
Blogger - the most common blogging application in the world
Bloglines - an aggregator that allows us to keep track of the blogs you read
Week 1 - Blog Writing Prompt

Week 1 Writing Prompt:
This week we are discussing the use of educational blogs - some from teachers, others by students, and still some from classes. Please explore various educational blogs through this educational blogger wiki. The list contains hundreds of educational blog divided into categories.
After you have visited some of the educational blogs I would like you to pick out three and write a short review (a paragraph for each one you choose) to be placed in your graded blog entry for the week. The review could include ideas about you could use a similar blog in your class, things that might have worried you about the blog or anything that comes to mind as you read it. Please include the link to blogs you are reviewing in the text of your entry.
The blog entry needs to be posted by midnight - March 26th.
Week 1 - Sites of the Night

Front Pages - The first one is from the Newseum. It allows you to see the front page of over 500 newspapers from over 50 countries. Very cool.

Gas Buddy - This site allows you to check in on gas prices from various cities in the United States. Could be easily made into a lesson for math, social studies, science, etc.

Slideshare - This site is great for sharing PowerPoint presentations. You can upload your presentation for free and others can view, and if you wish, allow them to also download it.
Instructor Information





